MOUNT SHASTA – A 26-year-old Mount Shasta man was arrested Thursday night after allegedly taking a vehicle with an 18-month-old child inside and threatening to crash it into a tree, killing himself and the infant.
On January 2, 2026, at approximately 10:30 p.m., the Mount Shasta Police Department responded to a reported verbal domestic incident between a boyfriend and girlfriend. During the incident, Joshua Thomas Santomauro allegedly took the victim’s vehicle without permission while their 18-month-old child was inside. The suspect made statements indicating he intended to crash the vehicle into a tree and kill himself with the child in the car.
A domestic violence restraining order was in effect at the time of the incident. While the child is shared between both parents, the circumstances met the legal definition of kidnapping due to the suspect’s stated intent to cause harm to the infant.
